Alcoholism affects one in 20 adults and is notoriously difficult to treat. Leading American cardiologist Dr Olivier Ameisen was a compulsive drinker for years until he was "cured," he says, by a drug commonly prescribed for muscle spasm.
His claims have created a huge stir in the medical world. Here, in an extract from his bestselling book, he tells his extraordinary story…
As I came to my senses I took stock of where I was: in a taxi, with blood streaming down my face and spattering my coat. I looked out the window. The church on the corner reminded me it was Sunday, and I looked at my watch. It was almost midnight.
I asked the driver to take me to the casualty department at the New York hospital where I worked as a consultant. I wondered what on earth had happened. Had the taxi braked suddenly so that I hit my head, or had I been injured in some other way before I hailed it?
I knew I’d been drinking, but not where or how much.
February 26, 2009
